Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe with Basil

How to make marinara sauce with just a few simple ingredients. Store up to a week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. Jump to the Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe or read on to see our tips for making it.

We eat a lot of pasta around here, and while we always stock up on boxes of pasta, we usually forget the jars of pasta sauce. Night after night of disappointment led to learning how to make homemade marinara sauce. We’re so glad we did.

Our marinara sauce recipe is surprisingly easy to make and can be stored up to a week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

We use our marinara sauce to make this Spinach Lasagna Recipe with no-boil noodles layered between fresh spinach and cheeses. It’s delicious.

How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce

Use this basic marinara sauce as a building block for many dishes. Toss with pasta or add to fish and meat dishes. To make it creamy, stir in heavy cream. For a spicy version, add extra crushed red pepper flakes. Or for a briny version, add olives or capers.

To make marinara sauce, you will need the following main ingredients:

Tomatoes — you can use canned whole tomatoes or fresh tomatoes.

Olive oil adds richness to the sauce.

Garlic adds flavor and spice.

Onion and carrots add sweetness, which balances the acidity of the tomatoes.

Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe with Basil

Making marinara sauce is so simple, and it tastes much brighter and more fresh than what you can buy at the store.

Makes approximately 6 cups

You Will Need

1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated (about 1/2 cup)

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes

1 dried bay leaf

20 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Prepare Sauce

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic then cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned – about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the grated carrots, and a pinch of salt then cook another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.

Crush Tomatoes

While the vegetables cook, open tomato cans then pour tomatoes with juices into a large bowl. Use your hands or a potato masher to crush the tomatoes until desired sauce consistency.

To Finish

Add crushed tomatoes with all juices and bay leaf to pan. Stir sauce then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered and occasionally stirring, for 20 to 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Note – if the sauce is too bright or acidic, try adding a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity from the tomatoes).

Remove bay leaf and discard then stir in chopped basil. Use straight away or refrigerate up to one week or freeze up to 6 months.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

Fresh tomatoes: For fresh tomatoes, we recommend peeling them first. To do this, cut an “X” in the bottom of each tomato then add to boiling water for about 1 minute. Then plunge into icy water. The peel should come off easily. You will need about 4 pounds of tomatoes to equal 2 (28-ounce) cans.

Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values. We assumed 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

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Thank you for sharing this recipe. I had to used this as a base but unfortunately had to do modifications. I used a can of crushed tomatoes and all my spices were dry. But it is so dang good! We will be making again and again!

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We all struggle with what to cook for dinner and yes, I am definitely including Adam and me in that! So you never run out of inspiration, we want to send you a completely free weekly email with easy, delicious and fresh recipes perfect for dinner! Click Go to signup for free!